Hanoi (VNA) ♏–The French Embassy in Vietnam held a press conference in Hanoi on June 3 to celebrate the completion of the "Sharing and Preserving Vietnam's Heritage" project.

Funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI), the 2022-2024 project aimed to enhance cooperation between French museums and Vietnamese partners. French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet confirmed that this project continues the collaborative efforts between France and Vietnam and set the stage for future joint endeavors, with new projects anticipated as early as 2025. The project was built around three core components, each designed to address different aspects of heritage conservation, and promotion. The first component focused on developing training programmes for Vietnamese professionals in a range of skills, including collection preservation, exhibition content creation, display space design, content transmission and public reception.

In addition to thematic workshops held across Vietnam to introduce various professions in the heritage sector, eight faculty members from four universities joined field trips to France to enrich their teaching experience in museum and heritage-related subjects. By the end of 2024, the essential guide "Museology," widely used by French museum professionals, will be translated and published in Vietnam. This publication is expected to serve as a crucial reference for developing museum-related education in the country. The second component centred on enhancing the capacity of Vietnamese museum staff through 12 training courses covering public reception, collection preservation, exhibition content creation, and improved ecological awareness of museums, with over 100 museum professionals taking part. The project was met with enthusiasm from local authorities and involved over 20 cultural and heritage institutions across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Quang Nam. This broad participation underscored the project's potential to make substantial progress in preserving both cultural and natural heritage sites throughout Vietnam. One of the standout aspects of the project is its three pilot initiatives, including the renovation of the Visitor Centre at the Cuc Phuong National Park, a crucial hub for nature enthusiasts and eco-tourists in the northern province of Ninh Binh; exhibition content at the Education and Environmental Communication Centre in the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Nam; and the design and production of “The Storytelling Box”, an innovative storytelling tool aimed at enriching the museum experience for visitors in Ho Chi Minh City. Ambassador Brochet stressed that the project transcends mere knowledge transfer. It fosters deeper connections between Vietnamese and French cultural institutions, allowing a valuable exchange of expertise to equip Vietnamese professionals with the skills and techniques necessary to better manage cultural heritage sites. Cédric Lesec, Director of External Relations and Outreach at the Museum of Confluences in France, offered a specific example of this collaborative approach. He described how French experts conducted role-playing exercises with Vietnamese trainees, simulating scenarios with various visitor profiles. This innovative approach, Lesec explained, "helped them understand the visitor experience" and the importance of creating a welcoming and engaging environment for museum patrons. Do Hong Hai, Deputy Director of the Centre for Environmental Education and Service at the Cuc Phuong National Park, expressed his gratitude for the project's support. He highlighted how the newly renovated Visitor Centre, now featuring modern audio-visual technology alongside local cultural elements, has become a popular destination for nature lovers and environmentally conscious tourists./.